The US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) reported today that as of their last count on June 5, 2009, approximately 44,400 H-1B visa petitions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 have been received by USCIS and counted towards the 65,000 quota.
The USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions until the number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits.
We have been following this development closely and this is the first time in many years that the quota has not been filled. It has been over 2 months since the USCIS began to accept applications and the application period is still open.
In previous years, the USCIS would receive enough petitions to fulfill the quota within days of the application period being open.
Critics say that the downturn in the U.S. economy and furthermore, the fact that U.S. based employers have submitted significantly less H-1B visa petitions are the primary reasons this year’s application period continues to remain open.
Related posts:
Update on Fiscal Year 2010 H-1B Petition Filings
H-1B Visa Cap Still Not Reached: 20,000 Visas Available
USCIS Continues to Accept H-1B Visa Petitions
Sharp Drop in H-1B visa Applications This Year Due to Current Economic Conditions
USCIS Continues to Accept FY 2010 H-1B Visa Petitions
Microsoft and other High Tech Companies Apply for Fewer H-1B visas
